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DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish releasing Epstein files

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DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish releasing Epstein files

This undated photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

AP/U.S. Department of Justice


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AP/U.S. Department of Justice

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline.

The Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen U.S. senators called on the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a Republican, told Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume in a letter that victims “deserve full disclosure” and the “peace of mind” of an independent audit.

The Justice Department said in a social media post that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI “have uncovered over a million more documents” that could be related to the Epstein case — a stunning 11th hour development after department officials suggested months ago that they had undertaken a comprehensive review that accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials.

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In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a “truckload of evidence” had been produced after she ordered the FBI to “deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office.” She issued the directive after saying she learned from an unidentified source that the FBI in New York was “in possession of thousands of pages of documents.”

In July, the FBI and Justice Department indicated in an unsigned memo that they had undertaken an “exhaustive review” and had determined that no additional evidence should be released — an extraordinary about face from the Trump administration, which for months had pledged maximum transparency. The memo did not raise the possibility that additional evidence existed that officials were unaware of or had not reviewed.

Wednesday’s post did not say when the Justice Department was informed of the newly uncovered files.

In a letter last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors already had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, though many were copies of material already turned over by the FBI.

The Justice Department said its lawyers are “working around the clock” to review the documents and remove victims names and other identifying information as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted last month that requires the government to open its files on Epstein and Maxwell.

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“We will release the documents as soon as possible,” the department said. “Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.”

The announcement came amid increasing scrutiny on the Justice Department’s staggered release of Epstein-related records, including from Epstein victims and members of Congress.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, one of the chief authors of the law mandating the document release, posted Wednesday on X: “DOJ did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline.” Another architect of the law, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he and Massie will “continue to keep the pressure on” and noted that the Justice Department was releasing more documents after lawmakers threatened contempt.

“A Christmas Eve news dump of ‘a million more files’ only proves what we already know: Trump is engaged in a massive coverup,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the DOJ’s announcement. “The question Americans deserve answered is simple: WHAT are they hiding — and WHY?”

The White House on Wednesday defended the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein records.

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“President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American history, which includes Attorney General Bondi and her team — like Deputy Attorney General Blanche — who are doing a great job implementing the President’s agenda,” spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

After releasing an initial wave of records on Friday, the Justice Department posted more batches to its website over the weekend and on Tuesday. The Justice Department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.

Records that have been released, including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs, court records and other documents, were either already public or heavily blacked out, and many lacked necessary context. Records that hadn’t been seen before include transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein.

Other records made public in recent days include a note from a federal prosecutor from January 2020 that said Trump had flown on the financier’s private plane more often than had been previously known and emails between Maxwell and someone who signs off with the initial “A.” They contain other references that suggest the writer was Britain’s former Prince Andrew. In one, “A” writes: “How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?”

The senators’ call Wednesday for an inspector general audit comes days after Schumer introduced a resolution that, if passed, would direct the Senate to file or join lawsuits aimed at forcing the Justice Department to comply with the disclosure and deadline requirements. In a statement, he called the staggered, heavily redacted release “a blatant cover-up.”

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Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in leading the call for an inspector general audit. Others signing the letter were Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota., Adam Schiff of California, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both of New Jersey, Gary Peters of Michigan, Chris Van Hollen, of Maryland, Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii, and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

“Given the (Trump) Administration’s historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential,” the senators wrote. Full transparency, they said, “is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein’s crimes.”

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Map: 4.6-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Northern California

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Map: 4.6-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Northern California

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 4 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “light,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.  All times on the map are Pacific time. The New York Times

A light, 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck in Northern California on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The temblor happened at 1:41 a.m. Pacific time about 1 mile southeast of Boulder Creek, Calif., data from the agency shows.

U.S.G.S. data earlier reported that the magnitude was 5.1.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

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Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Pacific time. Shake data is as of Thursday, April 2 at 5:41 a.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Thursday, April 2 at 6:11 a.m. Eastern.

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Appeals court rejects HUD homelessness overhaul saying it would be “disastrous”

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Appeals court rejects HUD homelessness overhaul saying it would be “disastrous”

Tents are lined up on Skid Row Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Los Angeles.

Jae C. Hong/AP


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A federal appeals court late Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s push to impose new conditions on homelessness funding, saying implementing them “would be immediately destabilizing and disastrous.” The ruling upheld a lower court’s preliminary injunction, the latest rebuke to a major shift that advocates warn would push 170,000 people in federally subsidized housing back into homelessness. That would include many who are disabled, elderly and veterans.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development wants to slash money for permanent housing and shift it to transitional programs that require sobriety, mental health treatment and other conditions. HUD Secretary Scott Turner has said this would nudge people toward self-sufficiency. The agency did not say whether it would appeal the ruling, but said in a statement that it “remains committed to reforming the misguided ‘Housing First’ approach that for years funded the self-serving homeless industrial complex, rewarded activists, and ignored solutions.”

The change in how to spend nearly $4 billion dollars a year would upend two decades of bipartisan federal policy, an approach the appeals court ruling said “has proven effective.”

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The mere threat of losing funding as this case plays out has already had “serious real-world harm,” the ruling noted. Citing evidence from plaintiffs, it said multiple local homeless services providers had stopped accepting new clients, and “stopped referring new clients to certain permanent housing programs … because of the planned [funding] cuts.”

A coalition of non-profit homelessness advocacy groups, local governments and mostly Democratic-led states brought the legal challenge, arguing the last-minute overhaul announced last fall was unlawful.

“We are relieved,” the coalition said in a statement, and “remain dedicated to protecting proven solutions to homelessness.”

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Judge delays Luigi Mangione’s federal trial by about a month but won’t push it to next year | CNN

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Judge delays Luigi Mangione’s federal trial by about a month but won’t push it to next year | CNN

A federal judge on Wednesday declined to delay the federal trial of Luigi Mangione until next year, denying a request by his attorneys who had expressed concern they couldn’t prepare for trial while simultaneously defending the 27-year-old in state court.

US District Judge Margaret Garnett instead slightly modified the dates of the federal trial in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pushing the start of jury selection to October 5 – four weeks after it had been previously scheduled. Opening statements in the case are now scheduled for October 26 or November 2, Garnett said.

“I am skeptical of moving the trial wholesale into 2027 when the state trial has not been adjourned, and I think it’s a little bit of the tail wagging the dog,” she said. “I don’t have any control over the state’s schedule.”

The judge’s decision means Mangione is expected to stand trial in federal court about four months after the scheduled start of his trial on separate charges in New York state court – although she indicated the new dates of the federal trial could be revised.

The December 2024 fatal shooting happened on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk outside a hotel where Thompson, 50, was set to attend an annual investors conference. Mangione’s arrest five days later at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, ended a multi-state manhunt.

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Mangione pleaded not guilty to two counts of stalking in the federal case, and second-degree murder and eight other counts in the state case. If convicted of the most serious charges, he could face up to life in prison.

Mangione’s attorneys had asked Garnett to delay the federal case to January 2027, expressing concern it would overlap with the prosecution in state court, complicating their ability to adequately defend their client.

“Realistically, defense counsel cannot be defending Mr. Mangione in state court on second-degree murder charges that carry a maximum sentence of twenty-five years to life while, at the same time, also reviewing 800 questionnaires for a federal case that carries a maximum life sentence,” defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo wrote in a March letter to Garnett.

Prosecutor Dominic Gentile, who argued against a delay, said Wednesday the public has a right to a speedy trial.

“Your Honor need only look out the window to see the people that follow this defendant and believe that what he did was right,” he said at the hearing, referencing those who support Mangione based on their own anger and resentment toward the American health care system.

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“This case is ready to move forward,” he added.

Gentile suggested the defense was seeking a delay in part because the law firm represents another high-profile client – Harvey Weinstein, who faces a retrial for an alleged sex crime in New York state court later this month.

The defense, however, said that played no role in their decision to ask for the delay.

“That is not a factor whatsoever,” Friedman Agnifilo told the judge.

Garnett brushed the matter aside, saying other cases are not her concern. Rather, the judge is most worried about Mangione’s state case impacting the federal jury selection process, she said. Potential jurors would be filling out questionnaires while “there’s a massive press pool and a lot of attention on the state trial which is ongoing just two blocks from here,” Garnett said.

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It is unclear if the scheduling change in the federal case will impact Mangione’s state trial, which is set to begin with jury selection on June 8. New York Judge Gregory Carro previously indicated he would move the state trial to September if federal prosecutors appealed Garnett’s ruling removing the death penalty from Mangione’s federal case. In February, prosecutors indicated they do not plan to appeal the ruling.

Mangione’s defense attorneys – who have repeatedly said they will not be ready for the state trial to begin in June – referenced Carro’s possible delay in court Wednesday in an attempt to sway the federal judge.

Friedman Agnifilo said they are asking the state judge for additional time to conduct investigations in support of their defense.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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